Together
by K9GM3
Summary: "Hey... Fang? Do you think we'll ever wake up?"


I'd forgotten what it was like to be a crystal. It's strange when you think about it… Five hundred years, and not a single memory of it. Now that I'm a crystal once again, it makes sense. Time… just sort of stops for you. It's not that I'm unaware of time. I know it's passing outside, but it doesn't pass for me. I'm trapped in a single moment.

It's not as bad as it sounds, really. There was a Cie'th Stone back on Pulse; she wanted to spend her time as a crystal looking over the chocobos. To live that one moment with the birds for eternity… I don't think anything could have made her happier. I hope she knows that we saved them.

Fang is with me. I can't see or feel her, but I'm somehow aware that she's close by, also crystallised. I wonder if she's thinking the same things. I wonder if she's as happy as I am.

A feeling of satisfaction enters my mind. I recognise it as not my own feeling – and there's only one other person here. Amusement follows the satisfaction, and then I hear Fang's voice. Or rather, Fang's voice is in my head.

_It could've been worse. If I gotta spend forever with someone, I'm glad it's you._

_I love you, Fang._

_Appreciated._ A short pause. _I love you too, Vanille._

For a moment, we say nothing. Fang's affection floods me, and I'm certain that Fang experiences my affection just as much. I wonder why we've never had that exchange before. Fang would do anything for me, and I'd do anything for her. Yet we never acknowledged it the way we just did.

_Hey… Fang?_

_Yeah?_

_Do you think we'll ever wake up?_

A long moment of silence follows. I don't know what answer to expect. I'm not even sure what answer I'm hoping for. The answer I get is short and simple.

_I don't know._

More silence. I suppose that when you're together forever, conversations needn't be fast. After a while, Fang resumes talking, having collected her thoughts.

_I think we can wake up whenever we want to. The others did… Might be tough getting out of the crystal pillar, but we can probably manage._

I had reached the same conclusion. With that question answered, a new question arose. Fang seems to have that same question on her mind, yet both of us are afraid to ask it. I turn out to be the first one to conquer that fear.

_Do you want to wake up?_

_I… I'm gonna miss living, sure. I'm gonna miss it immensely. But if we wake up… Well, we won't live forever. If we stay like this, that won't be a problem. We'd always be together. And I'll sacrifice anything for that._

I know she's telling the truth. She'd be OK with making that sacrifice for me. But I'm also painfully aware of how much sacrifice it would be. I know, because I can feel her loss. Fang doesn't want a single, everlasting moment. Fang wants _life_.

We go quiet for a long time. We take comfort in each other's presence, we enjoy it. Still, that sense of loss lingers. She wants to be with me, but not as a crystal. I can't let her make that sacrifice. It's time I made one for her.

_Fang._

…

_Let's wake up._

_Are you sure?_

_Absolutely._

…_Thank you so much._

Suddenly, I see a bright light all around me. I feel Fang's hands in mine. When the light fades, I see her face for a split-second. The next moment, I'm lying in the grass before the pillar we created. I try to catch my breath – why am I exhausted? – and look around me. Fang is lying a short distance away. Our eyes meet.

"You remember anything from the crystal sleep?" she asks. I shake my head. I know time has passed, but it feels like I awoke immediately after turning to crystal. "Yeah, me neither," she continues. "So now what do we do?"

There are so many things I want to do. I want to restore Oerba; I want to see our friends again; I want to explore Cocoon. But above all, I feel like I have to tell Fang something. Something I, for some reason, never told her before.

"I love you, Fang."

"Of course you do." A short pause. "I love you too, Vanille."

* * *

**A/N: I didn't cry when I saw the ending. I just had something in my eye. Honest.**


End file.
